If losing weight is a goal for so many people, why is it so hard to make it happen? Because it’s hard! That’s why I’m happy to have Stephanie Mansour, CEO of Step It Up with Steph, as my guest today. She’s a nationally known Health & Fitness Expert and Body Image & Confidence Coach. She’s also a reality TV show trainer, helping her client lose 80+ lbs in 12 weeks on NBC Chicago’s “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.”

Stephanie’s workbook and One Day Intensive program are a hit among women. She combines yoga, Pilates, personal training, and body image & confidence coaching for a holistic approach to health & fitness and also gives corporate presentations. With her no diets/no guilt mentality, she’s dramatically changing the way women everywhere view food and exercise. Since creating a mantra can help you accomplish what you want, Stephanie has suggestions for creating one for weight loss. Here’s what she has to say:

How to Create a Weight Loss Mantra ?
by Stephanie Mansour

One of my clients came to me because she made her New Year’s Resolutions list, including wanting to lose 10 lbs. It was halfway through the year, and she was successful in all of her resolutions, except for weight loss.  She was baffled.  I asked her to read to me the resolutions that she had written out.  Some included: I will spend more time with my husband because I love him, I will get a raise at work because I am a good, hard worker, I will get seven hours of sleep most nights because I want to feel well rested.  And this was what her weight loss resolution said: “I want to lose 10 lbs because I hate my body.”

Obviously, this statement was in a totally different form than her resolutions that had already come true.  According to her weight loss statement, the reason why she should lose weight was because she hated her body.  Well, if you hate your body, why would you do anything good for yourself?  How could you possibly do good things for your body to lose weight (i.e. exercising regularly, eating healthy, and taking care of your body), if you claim to hate your body?

Here are some guidelines for writing a successful weight loss mantra that has totally transformed my client’s life:

*     Write down what your goal is.

*     If you’ve written down a goal in a negative context, such as “lose weight, stop hating my body, avoid being seen in a bikini, etc.,” turn this phrase into something positive.

*     “I want to lose 10 lbs because I hate my body” becomes: “I am healthy and fit because I love my body and want to take care of myself.”

*     “I’m working out, so I can stop hating my body” becomes: “I work out because it makes me feel good about myself.”

*     “I’m being healthy and fit because I don’t want to avoid being seen in my bikini” becomes: “I am healthy and fit because I love the way my clothes fit and look on me.”

By turning your goal into a positive one, and writing it as if it is currently happening, in the present, you are reprogramming your subconscious to start acting like your goal is already happening in your life.
***************

Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Challenge–a pledge to do something loving for yourself for the next 31 days–and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways for free at http://howdoiloveme.com. Read my 31 Days of Self-Love Posts from 2012 HERE.

Please leave comments under my posts so we can stay connected.